True Love Never Dies, Its Forever
by x-Leyton4Life-x
Summary: Set in S5. Lucas proposes to Lindsey and Peyton must deal with the pain and heartache. She's trying to deal, trying to move on but when she gets locked in a storeroom with Lucas they both have to face what they've been trying to avoid - each other
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Lucas proposed to Lindsey now Peyton must deal with the heartache that comes with it. She's trying to deal, trying to move on but when she gets locked in a storeroom with Lucas they both have to face what they've been trying to avoid – each other. It takes a different turn to what is currently happening in season 5, eventually LP!**

**True Love Never Dies**

**Chapter 1 – Nature's Law**

_I tried to fight the feeling, the feeling took me down  
I struggle and I lost the day you knocked me out  
Now everything's got meaning, the meanings bring me down  
I'm watching as a screening of my life plays out_

_Every day I fight these feelings  
For your sake I will hide the real thing  
You can run all your life, all mine I will chase

* * *

_

After all this time I still couldn't move on, I really am pathetic, I've tried so many times to forget about him, I've dated other men, even tried hating him but it was no use I was still in love with Lucas Scott and I couldn't see that changing anytime soon; if I'm honest with myself I never stopped. I'm sitting at a table surrounded by my friends but the occasion isn't a happy one at least not for me anyway. Its Lucas Scott's engagement dinner celebration. He proposed to Lindsey right after he kissed me. When he kissed me I felt this ache in my heart disappear only to find it return again when he ran away and proposed to his current girlfriend. When he kissed me he gave me hope, he made me think we could have another chance to be together; I should hate him for it, for playing with my heart like that but I can't; no matter what I do I can't hate him.

I occasionally gaze over to where he is sitting at the other end of the table. Lindsey has her arm linked through his and I see them smiling, laughing and then she kisses him and my heart breaks a little more, if that was even possible. She looks my way and gives me an evil look; I glare back and then look down at the meal in front of me, suddenly losing my appetite. Brooke can sense my discomfort and places her hand on mine trying to offer me support. I'm grateful I really am but it doesn't really help, nothing could ease this pain in my heart. I can't even believe I'm here, but Brooke told me that Lucas wanted me here and after much persuasion I finally caved. I knew what I was getting myself into but I knew if I didn't show Lucas would forever hold it against me. I was trying so hard to be a good friend to him, but we were never just friends and I didn't know how to be just his friend anymore, not after everything we had been through.

"You okay?" Brooke whispered. I nodded back but she could see my glossy eyes and I knew she could tell I was lying. She gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and then whispered again "I'm here for you"

"Thanks" I whispered back flashing her a genuine smile. She really was my best friend and without her I wouldn't be able to cope.

I was brought from my thoughts when I heard the clinking of a glass and his voice. "I just want to thank everyone for coming, as you all know me and Lindsey are getting married"

I see Lindsey smile up at him and he returns the gesture. I feel physically sick, and just full of pain, heart-wrenching pain. He continues talking as my heart continues to break "In a weeks time she will be Mrs Lindsey Scott. I just want to thank everyone who is helping with the wedding I know we didn't give you much notice. Anyway thank you and I hope you all enjoy the rest of the evening"

He sat back down and I let out a breath I didn't even realise I was holding. I had to get away from everyone, I was breathing heavily and couldn't stand to look at them together anymore. I excused myself from the table and practically ran to the bathroom. I felt everyone's eyes on me but I just didn't care, they weren't going through what I was going through, they didn't have to watch the love of their life with another woman, they wouldn't have to watch the love of their life marry someone else.

Once I got to the bathroom I let all the tears I had been fighting fall freely down my face. I had been trying so hard to keep it together I have no idea how I am going to make it through the wedding day. I'm going to have to watch him say "I do" to another woman and the thought alone kills me. I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around to see my best friend, as always she was here for me. I fall into her waiting arms and let the rest of my tears fall; she rubs my back and whispers soothing words into my ears. When my crying finally subsides I pull away from Brooke and wipe my tears away.

"You ready to go back out there?" she asks me.

"I just need a few minutes alone" I reply.

"Okay as long as you're sure"

"I am"

She leaves and I take the time to look at my appearance in the mirror; I had mascara running down my cheeks and red puffy eyes. There was no way I would give Lucas or Lindsey the satisfaction of seeing me in this state. I start cleaning myself up and prepare to go back out there. At first I thought Lindsey was nice, its what she appeared to be, until Lucas started paying me a little too much attention for her liking. Of course she got jealous even though I wasn't trying to win him back, I was trying to move on but he made it so much harder; telling me guys weren't good enough for me, kissing me; God why did he have to kiss me? I knew she was enjoying every moment of this dinner, she got to rub my nose in it, see me suffer and she knew she had won and I had lost.

I open the bathroom door and bump into him. Its like I couldn't catch a break, no one should have to go through what I am right now, its unbearable.

"Are you okay?" he asks with genuine concern but I'm too angry, he played me and broke my heart all over again.

"I'm fine" I reply coldly as I walk back to the table. I can feel his eyes on me as I walk away but I refuse to turn around. He slowly makes his way back to the table and to his fiancé, we share a glance but I break the eye contact. I needed to get over him and I had to start now. I stand up and announce that I'm leaving.

"Why?" Haley asks.

"I'm not feeling very well" I reply and I see everyone's concerned stares so I continue, "Its nothing serious I just need to lay down" I walk past the table towards the exit and stop as I reach Lucas and Lindsey "Congratulations" I smile sincerely at them both and then continue towards the exit. I needed to move on and I had finally made the first step.

It was the next day and I was in my storeroom sorting through my records. I refused to keep them in my office, I had too many valuable records and my office wasn't always locked. I heard footsteps and the closing of the door; I turned around to see the person I was trying to avoid.

"What are you doing here?" I ask genuinely confused. He wasn't supposed to be around me, Lindsey wouldn't like it if she knew he was here right now and once again he was making it impossible for me to move on.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay, you said you weren't feeling well yesterday" he replied.

"I'm fine" Our eyes had locked and I could feel him taking over my thoughts once again and I knew I had to stop it. "You can go now"

"Peyton" he starts to protest but I cut him off.

"No just leave Lucas. It's too hard okay, I can't be around you right now"

"So we can't even be friends?" he asks genuinely hurt.

"I can't not right now…I'm sorry" I turn around looking at him was just too hard, seeing his disappointment and hurt expression killed me, but he expected too much of me. I'm not as strong as he thinks and he would just have to deal with it.

"Me too" he replied defeated and I hear him walking towards the door. I hear him pull on the handle but the door doesn't open, he keeps trying but it still doesn't open. I turn around and make my way towards the door, I try opening it but once again it wouldn't open. This was just great I was trying to move on and I was stuck in a small storeroom with the love of my life who no longer belonged to me.

_You should never fight your feelings  
When your very bones believe them  
If you let them show, you'll keep them  
I know your hurt but soon you'll rise again, again, again_

_

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**The song was Nature's Law by Embrace. I know I shouldn't be starting another story I have enough already but this idea just came to me and I had to write it. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter please review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – Better than me**

_I think you can do much better than me_

_After all the lies that I made you believe_

_Guilt kicks in and I start to see_

_The edge of the bed where your nightgown used to be_

_I told myself I won't miss you_

_But I remember_

_What it feels like beside you_

_I really miss your hair in my face_

_And the way your innocence tastes_

_And I think you should know this_

_You deserve much better than me_

She keeps pulling at the door, over and over and I can tell she is hoping that by some miracle it will open. I know she wants to get away from me and that really hurts, the fact she doesn't even want to be around me kills me. I can see her panicking so I place my hand on top of hers hoping to steady her and calm her down but I can tell by the expression on her face and the quick removal of her hand that I just made things worse. She walks away from me towards the other end of the small closet like room we were trapped in. I can tell she needs to distance herself from me and again I felt this pain in my heart; she can't even be near me anymore. My thoughts are interrupted when she shouts at me.

"Why did you shut the door?"

"I didn't know we were gonna get locked in here" I shout back annoyed that she was blaming me for this.

"Well you shouldn't even be here anyway" she replies with the same anger in her voice.

"I'm sorry if I wanted to check on you, sorry that I bothered to care" I reply sarcasm dripping from my every word. I didn't want to fight with her but she was yelling at me and blaming me for everything and I couldn't help but shout back.

"I told you I needed space Lucas, you coming to see me isn't giving me the space I need" she says in a calmer tone.

"I know okay but I don't want us not to be able to see each other you're too important to me" I didn't know where that came from but what I did know was that it was the truth I needed Peyton Sawyer in my life. I've tried living without her but things just weren't the same. I mean she comes back to town and all of a sudden I get my inspiration back. I'm writing some of my best work and deep down I know it's because of her I just don't want to admit it.

"Its too hard for me okay, besides Lindsey wouldn't be happy if she knew you were here"

"She doesn't mind"

She scoffs and then continues to speak "Wake up Lucas, Lindsey doesn't like me, we don't get along and she doesn't want you anywhere near me"

I can see the sadness in her eyes when she says that but I refuse to believe it and like the ass I am I say something I really shouldn't "You weren't too friendly with her either Peyton"

Her eyes shoot up from the ground and meet mine and I instantly see the anger and I can tell she is going to start shouting again. "How can you say that to me? When I first met her I wasn't very friendly I know, but you know what I'm like I have trust issues but I apologised for it and I wanted to start over."

"So did she" I reply only angering her more.

"Yeah that's what she made me and everyone else believe, she doesn't like me Lucas and that's a fact now get out"

"If you haven't noticed Peyton I can't leave we're trapped"

"Yeah and who's fault is that I ask you to leave me alone and you can't do that one simple thing"

"I care about you"

She scoffs and then replies in a cold tone "Yeah, you kiss me and then run away and propose to your girlfriend"

"Peyton I……I didn't mean for it to happen"

She looks confused and then speaks quietly "The kiss or the proposal?"

I don't know what I'm supposed to say everything was just so complicated and I knew that was my own fault I made everything so much worse than it already was. I could tell her now that the proposal was a mistake that Lindsey caught me looking at the ring and I freaked out and just proposed, that the kiss we shared meant everything and more to me but I can't, I'm too afraid, so I lie and break her heart a little more.

"I shouldn't have kissed you" I say quietly looking down at the ground ashamed of my own words. I see out of the corner of my eye the pain in her beautiful green orbs and I want nothing more than to comfort her but I know if I approach her she will just push me away and I really couldn't blame her.

She doesn't respond to my answer, she goes back to sorting through her records and ignores my presence the best she could considering the small enclosed environment we were trapped in. I want to go over there, I want to wrap her in my arms and make her pain go away. I know she had a hard time in LA, she went chasing after her dream and failed, but she would never be a failure to me. It takes courage to go after what you want and to quit when you know it isn't working. She came home and started all over again and I really admire her for that. I wish I could tell her everything I wanted to over the years we spent apart. I wish I accepted her _'someday' _but I didn't and now it was too late. I really didn't deserve her, I've hurt her so much, I made it harder for her to move on and I know she hurt me too but I shouldn't have given up on us all those years ago. She really was the love of my life and we both let it fall apart. The worst part is I now have a beautiful, loving fiancé and I do love her but I've been trying to find someone to fill a certain blonde's place and if I'm honest with myself she doesn't come close, no one would ever come close. There was only one Peyton Sawyer, only one love of my life. But could we ever have another chance? Would she ever want to be with me after this? Could we ever get back what we once had? And would I actually have the courage to be completely honest with her and myself and put my heart on the line again?

_The bed I'm lying in is getting colder_

_Wish I never would've said its over_

_And I can't pretend I won't think about you when I'm older_

_Cause we never really had our closure_

_This can't be the end_

_I really miss your hair in my face_

_And the way your innocence tastes_

_And I think you should know this_

_You deserve much better than me_

_

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**AN: Hope you liked the second chapter. The song is Better than me by Hinder. I think the next chapter will be from Peyton's POV and then Lucas again and so on. Anyway thanks so much for the supportive reviews on the first chapter please review this one I love to hear your thoughts :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – Never let this go **

_Maybe if my heart stops beating  
It won't hurt this much  
And never will I have to answer  
Again to anyone_

_Please don't get me wrong_

_Because I'll never let this go  
But I can't find the words to tell you  
I don't want to be alone  
But now I feel like I don't know you_

So Lucas Scott shouldn't have kissed me? Well I could have told him that! I just didn't expect hearing him say those words to hurt so much, but they did and I couldn't look at him anymore. I'm sorting through my records well at least I'm pretending to, it was kind of hard to concentrate on anything when he was only a few feet away. I hear him slouch down against the wall and a thought comes to my mind that I wish I had thought of sooner. I mentally slap myself for being so stupid.

"Do you have your cell?" I don't turn around; I still don't want to look at him. I hear him check his pockets but he doesn't say anything so I reluctantly turn around. I see him now standing and frantically searching through his jeans. He finally gives up and looks at me shaking his head to let me know he hasn't. I don't know why but this angers me and I start to take it out on him. "What's the point in having a phone if you don't have it with you?"

"Do you have yours?" he fires back angering me more.

"Its in my office"

"Well looks like I'm not the only one" he says with a cocky attitude.

"My office is just down the hall sorry if I didn't think to bring it into the storage room with me, how was I to know that some dumbass would get me locked in here?" anger and sarcasm were dripping from my every word. I was just so angry and hurt and he was the reason for the pain in my heart, yet I still couldn't hate him, I wish I could it would make getting over him so much easier.

"Its not my fault we're locked in here" he shouts back.

"You shouldn't have closed the door, in fact you should have left me alone like you're supposed to"

"Peyton I care about you"

"No you don't" I reply. I just couldn't believe he cared about me not after everything. If he cared about me why did he kiss me and then propose to Lindsey and then tell me he shouldn't have kissed me in the first place. He really was full of crap and I was sick of hearing it, sick of getting my hopes up, just sick of wishful thinking because in the long run it just hurt more. I really did feel like he was a different person now, this wasn't the Lucas Scott I used to know and that thought saddens me because Lucas Scott was the man of my dreams, the man who knew me inside out, I never wanted that to change even if he was with someone else.

"How can you say that?" he asks in a calmer tone but with hurt in his voice.

"It doesn't matter Lucas. What does matter is it's the truth"

"No it isn't" he protests but I refuse to believe him and I can feel my anger coming back.

"Its not huh? Then how come all you ever seem to do is hurt me? You leave me in LA with the CD I made for YOU and you don't even say goodbye. Ever since I've been back you've messed with my feelings, my heart, all you've done is made it harder for me to get over you"

When I finish talking I mentally kick myself for the last part. I didn't want him to know how much he affected me, how much I still loved him but it was too late I had let it slip and I couldn't take it back. Ever since I had been back in Tree Hill I had never actually told him that I still loved him, I was scared and didn't want to ruin what he had with Lindsey. Besides I always thought it was pretty obvious, everyone else seemed to know Brooke figured it out practically straight away and even Skills could tell I wasn't over him but not Lucas, until now that is. He was taken aback by my response I could tell he wasn't expecting it as he ran his hands through his hair and took a few steps backwards. We hadn't spoken since he kissed me, neither of us had made any attempt to talk about what it meant. I had every intention of going round to his place to sort everything out once and for all but before I got the chance I found out he proposed and that a celebration dinner had been organised. We barely spoke then except for when I bumped into him outside of the bathroom and now we were trapped and had to confront everything we had been avoiding.

"You're…you're not over me?" he asks nervously and a part of me is laughing inside because I refused to believe that Lucas Scott could be this naïve and clueless, he must have had some sort of idea. But then again he had no idea in our senior year of high school, even my half brother Derek who hardly knew me could tell but not Lucas who spent practically every day with me.

Why couldn't the ground just open up and swallow me? I really didn't want to be here right now. This room was way too small for the both of us and the tension just keeps on rising, it's just so unbearable at least for me anyway. It hurt to be this close to him and not be able to have him. I don't know how to respond to his question, whether to lie or finally tell the truth. But he's moved on, why complicate what he has with Lindsey even more, she's already paranoid and insecure why make things worse. I wanted Lucas to be happy even if it wasn't with me but he just made it all the more harder for me to do that. He kept giving me hope, I always thought we'd find our way back but the moment I found out he proposed I lost all that hope. I will never forget what we had and how he was there for me through the years. If I'm completely honest with myself he's the only man I've ever truly loved, I loved Jake I did but deep down I knew he was more of a replacement and I've never come close to love in LA. Lucas Scott is the love of my life, but now he's found a new love someone he has promised to love forever and that thought kills me inside, but I won't come between them, I refuse to be the other woman when it comes to Lucas Scott again.

"It doesn't matter" I finally breathe out and turn to walk back to my records but before I get there he grabs a hold of my arm and I feel myself being pulled back.

"It does matter. Peyton I need you to be honest with me, we need to talk about this we can't run from it forever" there's a desperation in his voice and I know he isn't going to let this go without a fight. I feel the electricity shoot through my body at his touch but I don't know what to do or say. He's still holding on to my arm and I'm just staring into his eyes like a love struck fool. I finally come to my senses and pull myself out of his grasp and away from his intense gaze.

"You're with Lindsey now, you're engaged for heaven's sake" I speak the truth hoping he would leave it at that.

"I know that, but that's not what I'm asking you"

Once again he doesn't leave it alone and once again I can feel a fight coming on. I wanted to tell him so badly that I loved him with all my heart, that I came home for him but would it really do any good. This wouldn't help me move on from him, it would just make matters a whole lot worse. One thing I knew for sure was I couldn't let him go, I couldn't let what we had go and that was the most painful thing of all because if I could let it go even just a little bit I would have a better chance of moving on but I couldn't and it angered, frustrated and saddened me all at the same time. How could one boy have such a strong hold on me?

_One day you'll get sick of  
saying that everything's alright  
And by then I'm sure I'll be pretending  
Just like I am tonight_

_Please don't get me wrong_

_Because I'll never let this go  
But I can't find the words to tell you  
I don't want to be alone  
But now I feel like I don't know you_

_Let this go, let this go_

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**AN: So thats the end of chapter 3 I hope you all enjoyed it. I just want to thank everyone for all the reviews they really do make my day :) Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. The next one will be from Lucas' POV. I'll try to update asap but I'm gonna write the next chapter for cruel intentions first because I have a lot of people waiting for an update! **

**The song: Paramore - Never let this go**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Fix you**

_When you try your best, but you don't succeed  
When you get what you want, but not what you need  
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep  
Stuck in reverse_

_And the tears come streaming down your face  
When you lose something you can't replace  
When you love someone, but it goes to waste  
Could it be worse?_

Does Peyton really still have feelings for me? I guess deep down I knew I just didn't want to admit it, but hearing her say she's not over me made it all the more real to me. Peyton Sawyer, the love of my life still had feelings for me, but what did these feelings mean? Does she still love me? Or am I reading too much into this? I don't know what to do, we have gone three years without seeing each other and then she comes back into my life and I'm questioning my feelings for her. I thought I was completely over her, I'm engaged and in a loving relationship but I know it will never measure up to what I had and how I felt when I was with Peyton. No one knew me like her; no one could make me feel the way she does. She was my inspiration, my muse and no one else could touch my life the way she has. And if I'm honest she still is my inspiration, she still touches my life like no other. But we had our chance; maybe it's a sign we're not meant to be together.

God it's so hard to think straight in this storeroom, I feel tense, claustrophobic and I just want to break free and runaway from all my problems. Its what I do best, I hate confrontation and rarely face my problems head on but right now I had no choice. I had to face it all and a part of me was dying to know how she truly felt. She hasn't spoken since I asked her to be honest with me, I think she's contemplating on what she should say but the suspense is killing me. I just want her to be honest; I want to finally face what we've been dancing around for the past few weeks.

"Peyton please I need to know" I say desperation in my voice, I just want everything to be out in the open. We never had our closure, I just left and we never saw each other again for three years. I just want to know how she was in that time, and whether she managed to move on. A part of me knows she hasn't, Brooke even told me she came home for me, but I will only believe that when I hear it from Peyton's mouth.

"Why? Why do you need to know, you're happy now, you've made a life for yourself, you've moved on I don't want to disrupt that" she replies and I can tell she doesn't want to open up. In the time we spent a part she has managed to build those walls up so high and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to break them down again, but regardless I won't let her keep running and dodging my question, if we're trapped together we may as well get everything we've been avoiding sorted.

"Come on Peyton just tell me the truth." I pause preparing myself for what I'm about to ask her "Do you still have feelings for me?"

She was shocked at my bluntness I could tell that much, and now I was just waiting for her response.

"Fine you want to know the truth" she shouts and I mentally slap myself because I've obviously pissed her off again. "Yes okay I still have feelings for you, heck they never went away I've always loved you and I always will but it doesn't matter because everything you ever said to me was a lie"

"What?" I ask shocked. How can she say that? I meant everything I ever said to her.

"You lied to me Lucas and then you turned up three years ago and ambushed me…you gave up on us"

I look in to her eyes and can tell she meant every single word and that angers me. I never gave up on us, she did.

"I proposed to you Peyton, I wanted to spend forever with you how is that giving up on us?" she can tell I'm angry as I see her take a step back.

"By not waiting you gave up and you know that's the truth" again I can see the honesty in her words and once again it angers me.

"You wanna talk truth then lets talk truth" I shout even louder than before. I never thought I could get this angry, especially not with Peyton but I guess I was wrong. She's staring at me now waiting for me to continue, so I do with the same anger in my voice.

"You gave up on me and on us. You didn't think I could get my novel published……you stopped believing in me, and I don't think you even cared" Okay maybe that was a little harsh but I was so angry and its what I was thinking. We had gone three years with all of this bottled up inside and I was finally letting it all out. I shocked her she was pretty much speechless. I saw the anger in her eyes turn to pain and once again I knew I was the reason for that. I wish I could take back what I said but I can't, I know I was just talking out of anger but I really did believe in what I said. She hurt me so much and we were finally talking about it.

"You know what Lucas fuck you!" she shouts masking her pain with more anger. "I never stopped believing in you, I loved you. I always knew you would make it……and if I never believed in you, if I never cared then why do I buy your stupid book every damn time I see it?" she runs past me and starts pulling on the door handle, I could tell she needed to get out but it was no use we were locked in and no amount of pulling at the door would get us out, but she continues anyway with determination. I take this time to think over what she said and maybe she was right but it was so much easier to tell myself she gave up on me it was what I told myself to get over her. I can hear her sobbing and I look over at her, she's pounding her fists into the door. At that moment I feel absolutely terrible, I shouldn't have said those things, I never wanted to make her cry like that. I slowly and cautiously make my way over to her. I'm scared to get too close but I can't stand to see her like this I just want to comfort her even if I am the one who made her like this in the first place.

"Peyton" I say softly.

"Just leave me alone" she replies coldly.

"I can't" I say again in a soft and honest tone.

"Why? Want to break me a little more?"

"Peyton I didn't"

"No!" she cuts me off "All you've ever done is lie to me and make things worse"

"How and when have I lied to you?" I say the frustration sounding through my voice. I really cannot believe she would think this. I wouldn't lie to her.

"Let me see, oh that's right just read your book Luke that says everything."

Again I'm confused, everything I wrote about her I meant, I never lied. "I meant everything I ever wrote in that book Peyton"

"Really? Well how about the fact you said we were destined to be together"

Okay so now I understand why she thinks I lied but I meant it, I always believed we were destined to be together but sometimes you don't get to be with your destiny.

"I meant that Peyton, but not everyone gets to be with who they're destined for"

She nods her head and then goes back to pulling on the door handle. I see fresh tears drip down her face and I feel so bad for her.

"Why do you think I proposed to you?"

"You were insecure"

"Peyton!" I shout again maybe I was feeling a little insecure at the time but I proposed because I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. "I proposed because I was in love with you, and I wanted to be with you forever but you said no"

"I never said no!" she shouts back.

"Yes you did" I protest.

"No I didn't and if you actually listened you would have heard me tell you that I loved you and that I did want to marry you someday"

"It felt like a no Peyton"

"Well it wasn't and because of that you left me, you didn't even say goodbye"

"There was nothing left to say Peyton"

"Well it just proves my theory right"

"What theory?"

"That you were insecure and once again you lied to me"

"How did I lie to you?" I say frustrated, trying to control my temper.

"You said and I quote _'No matter how long it takes I'll wait for you_' I guess a year was too long"

Okay so maybe I did lie to her, but I never did it intentionally. When I said I'd wait for her, at the time I really meant it but there's only so much waiting a person can do. Yes she said a year but to me that felt like a lifetime, we had grown so far a part already and I was scared in case she moved on in that time. It took a lot of courage for me to propose and to me everything she said just felt like a knock back, a refusal, just a plain no. But I've come to realise something, Peyton Sawyer is irreplaceable, and I really am not as happy without her. Its like I told Brooke all those years ago I don't know what to do without her, and to this day I still feel lost, like I'm a different person, I don't feel like my true self anymore. Maybe this is a sign that I've chosen the wrong path, maybe I should have accepted her someday three years ago, if I did we would've been married by now, or maybe this is fates way of telling us we are far from over. Maybe we really are destined to be together, maybe I will get my destiny after all. But will Peyton ever want to be with me now? I mean I've caused her so much heartache, she seems so broken now; I've definitely got some fixing to do. And what about Lindsey? She is my fiancée after all. Once again it seems I'm back to square one.

_Tears stream down your face  
When you lose something you cannot replace  
Tears stream down your face  
And I..._

_Tears stream down your face  
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes  
Tears stream down your face  
And I..._

_Lights will guide you home  
And ignite your bones  
And I will try to fix you_

_

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**AN: Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed the update. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long I seem to find it easier to write from Peyton's POV. Anyway thankyou for all the encouraging reviews so far please let me know what you think of this chapter :)**

**Song - Coldplay: Fix you**

**Enjoy tonights episode :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Colorblind**

_I am colorblind  
Coffee black and egg white  
Pull me out from inside  
I am ready  
I am ready  
I am ready  
I am  
Taffy stuck, tongue tied  
Stuttered shook and uptight  
Pull me out from inside  
I am ready  
I am ready  
I am ready  
I am...fine_

He doesn't respond and it doesn't really surprise me, I don't know why I even brought it up but being in a small enclosed environment was the breaking point for me, its one thing keeping things bottled up but when you are trapped with that person who you are trying to get over it makes it all the more difficult. Maybe this whole thing will help me get over him, maybe it is better to just get everything out in the open once and for all but I feel so miserable right now and so exposed. I've got tears streaming down my cheeks and I can't hide my emotions anymore, I feel too vulnerable right now and I don't like it. I go back to banging on the door, just hoping that someone was around, that someone would hear me and end this torment but who was I kidding, Tric was pretty much dead during the day.

"There's no use Peyton"

I know he's right but I won't let him know that so I carry on banging on the door and shouting in case by some miracle someone is close by.

"Peyton" he says grabbing my arms to stop me. I'm still so angry that I violently pull myself away from his grasp. I don't want him touching me; being trapped with him was torment enough. I walk away to the other end of the small room and slouch down against the wall, I can feel his eyes on me but I refuse to look in his direction. He can tell I don't want to talk as I notice him slouch down against the opposite wall. We sit in silence for a few moments, nothing but our thoughts to plague our minds and that's when I think about it, the very thing that made me getting over Lucas Scott virtually impossible; the moment he kissed me.

_**Flashback**_

_She was sitting in her office at Tric searching for some sort of bandage, like the idiot she was she had managed to fall and cut her head on some broken glass in the bar. It wasn't a life-threatening cut but it was bleeding and she needed to stop it so she continued rummaging through the drawers of her desk in search of a first aid kit. She finally found it but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching her; she looked up and saw the very person she had been trying to avoid. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, it was that she didn't know how to behave around him anymore, she was still so in love with him and he had moved on so she decided that she had to do the same, and to do that she needed to distance herself from him, at least for now anyway._

_He noticed the blood on her head almost instantly and rushed to her side. He was just coming to congratulate her on her label and the progress she had made with Mia, he didn't expect to see her with blood running down her forehead. He had to admit he was definitely finding it hard to stay away from the blonde beauty since she had arrived back and he knew his girlfriend was getting jealous but he wasn't actually doing anything wrong, he hadn't seen her for years it was only natural that he would want to catch up._

"_What happened?" he asked nervously, kneeling down beside her._

"_Oh its nothing…I just…I fell over like the klutz I am" she replied feeling nervous at the sudden close contact between them._

_He notices her take a band-aid from the first aid kit and covers her hand with his. "Let me" he says softly. She obliges even though her head was telling her otherwise. He takes an antiseptic wipe and gently cleans the blood off of her head, she winces a little and he notices._

"_Sorry" he says in almost a whisper as he continues cleaning the cut, a little gentler than before._

"_Its okay" she softly replies, her heartbeat increasing. He disposes of the now blood stained wipe and cups her face with both hands blowing gently at her cut making sure it was thoroughly clean. The feel of his hands and warm breath on her face sent sparks through her entire body, it made her feel so alive after years of feeling empty. She wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss him with everything she had, with everything she had been longing for since he left her three years ago but she held back remembering that this wouldn't help her move on and that he was committed to someone else now. He takes the band-aid and places it on the now clean cut. He then gazes into her emerald eyes, the same eyes he had been missing for three years, the same eyes that captivated him in ways he never dreamed possible._

"_All done" he whispered but they remained in the eye locking gaze they were caught in. Before he even realised what he was doing he was leaning closer to her, he had missed her so much and right now he wasn't thinking about the consequences of his actions all he was thinking about was the beautiful woman in front of him. She saw his lips nearing hers and she knew she should stand up right now and leave but she couldn't, this was the closest to each other they had been since she had returned and she couldn't help but let him kiss her. His lips touched hers and it sent sparks searing through both of their bodies, they both felt so alive in that moment that it felt like they had been dead for the last three years. She was startled at first, she saw it coming but yet it still shocked her, they hadn't kissed in so long that she didn't feel prepared for the rush of feelings she was feeling right now. He cupped her cheek deepening the kiss as their lips moved in sync with one another. They both fitted together so perfectly it was unreal. She slowly snaked her hand around the back of his neck and settled her fingers in the bottom of his dirty blonde hair while his hand got lost in her wild curls. They continued kissing and she eventually parted her lips allowing his tongue entrance. He didn't waste anytime and before they knew it their tongues were dancing together and they were passionately making out. They eventually pulled apart when air became a necessity. She slowly opened her eyes and found crystal blues staring back at her._

"_What was that?" she asked breathlessly, the nervousness present in her voice._

"_I…I have to go" he replied running away from her and that's when reality came crashing back down as well as the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks._

_**End of flashback**_

Why did he have to do that? If he never kissed me with so much passion, so much love maybe I would have been able to move on by now. The silence still remains in the small storeroom but the tension doesn't lessen, in fact its worse if that was even possible. We are both sitting against the walls, he's on the opposite side closer to the door and I can't help but look over at him. He seems deep in thought and doesn't notice my gaze so I take a minute to take him in. His physical appearance hadn't changed much in the three years we were apart, he was still breathtakingly handsome and I still longed for him, before he realises I'm staring at him I look away and bury my head in my knees. I had to stop doing this, I had to stop setting myself up for more pain and heartache, I had to do the healthy thing and move on. But how could I? He was and still is the love of my life, I was coping fine until that kiss, this was all his fault. I lift my head out of my knees and look at him.

"Why did you kiss me?" I ask calmly. I needed to know, I needed some sort of closure.

"Peyton I" he stops mid sentence and I can tell he doesn't want to get into this but I won't let him get out of it, I needed to know.

"Just tell me Luke."

"Does it really matter?" he asks making eye contact.

"Of course it does Lucas, look I need to know, I need my closure." I say softly. I didn't want to start another fight; we had done enough of that already. He knew how I felt about him and if we were truly over for good then I needed to know what possessed him to kiss me the way he did.

"I don't know why" he replies.

"Lucas please" I say the desperation sounding through my voice.

"I don't know okay" he says louder standing up. I follow suit and try to remain calm I really didn't want to fight about this; I just wanted him to explain.

"Stop lying to me Lucas" I say the annoyance present in my voice.

"I'm not lying" he shouts with frustration.

So much for not arguing. "Fine I don't know why I bother with you Lucas."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I've told you how I feel and I know you've moved on, you made that perfectly clear but you shouldn't have kissed me Lucas that's not fair to me"

"I know and I'm sorry" he replies sincerely.

"Then will you please just answer me and tell me why you did it?"

"Peyton please can't we just leave it in the past?" he says the frustration coming back.

"No!" I shout sick of him running from everything. "I need to know so I can finally let you go, so that I can be happy for you and move on and be happy myself"

"Peyton just leave it"

"No! You asked me to be honest with you and I was now I need you to do the same"

"I can't"

"WHY!" I'm so angry, I had a right to know and I wasn't going to let him worm his way out of telling me.

"I CAN'T!"

"WHY!"

"Because I still love you!" he shouts out and now he is the one pounding on the door wanting to break free and I'm the one stood still speechless.

_I am covered in skin  
No one gets to come in  
Pull me out from inside  
I am folded, and unfolded, and unfolding  
I am  
colorblind  
Coffee black and egg white  
Pull me out from inside  
I am ready  
I am ready  
I am ready  
I am...fine  
I am... fine  
I am fine_

_

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_

**AN: Hope it was worth the wait :) Please let me know what you think!**

**Song: Counting Crows - Colorblind**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the wait guys but I hope you enjoy this chapter :) And a big thanks to all the reviews so far they really make writing this story worthwhile so thankyou so much:) **

* * *

**Chapter 6 – The Reason**

_I'm not a perfect person  
There's many things I wish I didn't do  
But I continue learning  
I never meant to do those things to you  
And so I have to say before I go  
That I just want you to know _

_I've found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
and the reason is you_

I never did learn when to keep my mouth shut; I've just shocked the hell out of Peyton and my self with those four words that left my mouth moments before. I didn't meant to confess my feelings but she kept on pushing me and before I knew it I exploded and was spilling my heart out. I always told myself that I was over her but being trapped with her for a couple of hours not only made me confess my true feelings but it has made me realise that I never got over her, and I've been trying to replace her with Lindsey but who am I kidding no one will ever compare to Peyton Sawyer, I tried to move on because it was the healthy thing to do and I knew Lindsey would never hurt me like Peyton did, but was my love for her as strong as my love for Peyton...never and it never will be.

I keep pounding on the door trying my best to get out, I feel so claustrophobic and I just want to break free and run away from everything. I can tell I've shocked her because she hasn't said anything since those fatal words left my mouth. I guess she is thinking things over, contemplating what this means but even I don't know what this means. I'm engaged, I've lived without her for three years and I convinced myself and everyone around me that I moved on, that I finally let her go but it doesn't seem that way anymore.

I hear footsteps and I know she has slowly started to approach me. I try to block it out by continuing to pound on the door; I'm not ready to face everything yet. Peyton was right I should have just left her alone; I shouldn't have come to see her when she told me she needed space, and when Lindsey is already so insecure but I didn't listen. When it comes to Peyton Sawyer I never think clearly, she has this power over me like no one else and I had to make sure she was okay, I always feel this need and want to protect her from the world and I can't control it sometimes.

I'm lost in my thoughts as I continue to pound away at the door and then she gently grabs my arm to stop me and her touch immediately snaps me back to reality. She looks into my eyes, I can tell hers are glossy, she looks like she is about to cry at any moment and all I want to do is hold her in my arms and take her pain away but I'm scared to get too close so I pull my arm from her grasp and walk to the other end of the store room trying to put a little distance between us.

But she won't leave it alone "Lucas what…what was that?" she asks softly in a confused and scared tone. I can't blame her, she wants an explanation its only natural but I don't want to face it all I want to run and hide like the coward I am.

"I think its pretty self-explanatory Peyton" I say a little harsher than I intended. I'm just so confused right now, I feel like my brain is working on overload and I just can't handle all of this pressure I am feeling.

"No its not! I've been back for a few months and you convinced me you moved on, you practically rubbed it in my face"

"I did not rub it in your face!" I say in protest.

"What ever you say" she replies in a sarcastic tone.

I don't respond, I just cannot deal with another fight so I stay silent and watch as she slouches down against the door, the very same door that has caused this mess. I soon follow suit and slouch down next to her. I don't know why I feel the sudden need to be near her but I do, she doesn't get up and move away from me so I take this as a good sign.

"When did everything get so complicated" she whispers.

"I'm not sure" I reply back honestly.

"Do you think we're cursed?"

"What?"

"Us…we never seem to get it right and now look at us stuck together in this small room constantly fighting"

"I didn't want to fight Peyton"

"I know but that hasn't stopped us. Maybe this is payback"

"Payback for what?"

"Hurting Brooke all those years ago, you kissing me when you're with Lindsey, we're bad people."

"I don't think that's true"

"No?"

"No I don't believe in curses and you are definitely not a bad person"

She smiles over at me, obviously comforted by my words and that makes me feel better about all the pain I've put her through lately. Maybe I can finally fix everything. Our eyes soon lock and I forgot how beautiful her green orbs really were. I've never seen a pair of eyes as beautiful as hers. They are so unique, green with specks of gold and full of mystery; it was one of the many things along with her chickeny legs and beautiful blonde curls that first drew me to her all those years ago.

I suddenly feel this wave of emotion sweep over me and my eyes focus on her perfect lips. I can't help myself so I lean in and capture her lips with my own, she's startled I can tell but she soon starts kissing me back with the same love and want. This feels so right, kissing her is something that I have missed, no one has made me feel so alive by just kissing me before, it was definitely something only Peyton Sawyer was capable of. I raise my hand to cup her beautiful face and deepen the kiss. It is then that she pulls away and starts shouting at me, obviously realising that this is wrong, she stands up and puts some distance between us and looks at me with pain filled eyes, and it really does break my heart when she looks at me like that.

I know what I have to do now; I have to talk everything through with Peyton once and for all. She is the one for me, I've never been so sure about anything else in my entire life. I am going to make her see how much I truly love her if it's the last thing I do. She can shout at me all she wants I won't give up on her this time. I don't want to hurt Lindsey, I really don't but I've been hiding with her and I never meant to propose to her, she found the ring, the ring meant for only Peyton and I freaked out. Peyton Sawyer is still the one I want next to me when all my dreams come true. She is my reason and I will make her see that.

_I'm sorry that I hurt you  
It's something I must live with everyday  
And all the pain I put you through  
I wish that I could take it all away  
And be the one who catches all your tears  
That's why I need you to hear_

_I've found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
and the reason is you _

**Hope you liked it I'll try to update again soon :) In the meantime I would love to hear your thoughts!**

**The song is called 'The Reason' by Hoobastank**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – Cat and Mouse**

_Softly we tremble tonight,  
picture perfect fading smiles are all that's left in sight,  
I said I'd never leave, you'll never change  
I'm not satisfied with where I'm at in life._

_Am I supposed to be happy?  
When all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.  
Am I supposed to be happy?  
When all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.  
You said, you said that you would die for me..._

He's got to stop doing that, he always makes me the _'other woman'_ and I'm getting sick of it. I'm better than that, I deserve more than that and I refuse to be someone's bit on the side again. Why does he always kiss me when he is committed to someone else? I will never understand the way his mind works. He never seems to know what he wants and when he finally does figure it out its usually too little, too late. What happened to the Lucas Scott I used to know? He always followed his heart back then, he was the most caring guy in the world but over the years that has seemed to change.

"You've got to stop doing this to me Lucas" I say in a raised voice as I pace the small enclosed room.

"Doing what?" he asked dumbfounded as he edged a little closer to me. I stop my pacing and look at him I can't believe how stupid he can be sometimes.

"Making me your bit on the side! You always make me your other woman. Don't you think I deserve more than that?" I reply and go back to pacing the room. It was a nervous habit I had picked up. When things got too much I usually ran but since that's not possible right now I opted to pace. Either way I just couldn't stand still at this moment.

"Of course you do" he says and grabs onto my arms stopping me from pacing up and down.

"Don't touch me okay!" I say a little harsher than I intended but I was just so tired of it all. I love him with all my heart but he is engaged to another woman, he has promised to love and cherish someone else forever and I can't get that thought out of my mind. I bet he gave her a wonderful speech, he probably proposed to her in the most romantic way imaginable and thinking of this brought pain to my heart and memories of when it was me three years ago. I should have said yes, I know that now but I was nineteen years old and I was scared. I honestly didn't think by saying I wasn't ready he would leave me. He was the only constant in my life, the only person who had never left but that all changed when I said 'someday'. He left me and I never felt so alone in those three years without him. I ended up burying myself into my work but that didn't really do me any good I never did make it past assistant to the assistant. I continue to think things over but his voice soon brings me out of my thoughts.

"I love you Peyton" he says and stops me from pacing once more. He looks deep into my eyes and repeats himself "I love you" He sounds so sincere and a tear slides down my cheek because I've been dying to hear those words come from his mouth for over three years and now they finally have I feel like I must be dreaming or like someone must be playing some kind of sick joke on me. How could this be happening? Wasn't he engaged and in love with someone else? I see him raise his hand and he wipes away my tears and then smiles at me.

"You can't say that to me Lucas, you proposed to Lindsey" I say trying to control myself from jumping into his arms and kissing him passionately. I had to remain strong and he really didn't deserve me to just forgive everything straight away, he had to prove to me that he loved me and only me, he had to make me believe that I was the only one in his heart because right now I really didn't feel like I was. How can he love me after everything he has done, after parading around with Lindsey on his arm telling me that he had moved on that we were history.

"I didn't mean to"

"How can you not mean to propose?"

"It's the truth Peyton"

"I hear you used the same ring too. Tell me Lucas was it ever meant for me because it seems like everyone but me has worn it!"

"How?" He is obviously surprised I know, maybe because I never let on that I knew. At the time I kept my distance from him and Lindsey in an attempt to heal my broken heart. It didn't do much good but I knew it was better than being around the newly engaged couple I knew I wouldn't be able to handle that. I barely made it through the dinner last night.

"Brooke told me. I mean she would know she did wear it in New York while you pretended to be engaged"

"Peyton it wasn't like that okay"

"Then what was it like?"

"That ring was meant for you and only you"

I scoff and then reply "Well everyone but me has worn it so that's kind of hard to believe. Tell me how did it end up on Lindsey's finger? You said you never meant to propose but how am I meant to believe that Lucas? You've made wedding plans, you've set a date, hell you've even celebrated and I had to sit through the god damn dinner party!"

"Peyton I'm sorry okay I never wanted to hurt you"

"But you did" I reply coldly and try to put some more distance between us but it really wasn't possible. In the end I had just backed myself into a corner and Lucas just moved closer to me, so if anything I put myself in a much worse position than before.

"Look I didn't mean to propose to Lindsey. I didn't want to propose to her, if I had it my way me and you would have been happily married a long time ago"

"Explain this to me because I cannot understand how you accidentally proposed" I say air quoting the word 'accidentally' with my fingers.

"Okay I guess I best start from the beginning"

"That would probably help" I say sarcastically.

_**Flashback**_

_He had just arrived home from Tric after kissing Peyton. He was utterly confused and yet somewhere inside he knew why he had kissed her. He still loved her; he just didn't want to admit it to himself. He didn't want to admit that Peyton could still have that hold on him like no other, he didn't want to acknowledge the feelings within his heart that never went away, he wanted to bury them deep away and never have them resurface again. He wanted to run away from it all, from all the pain, all the confusion, yet he knew that wasn't possible, he had to face reality some time._

_He entered his bedroom through his side door. The room was empty, no Lindsey, no anybody. He assumed she was either out with Haley or somewhere else in the house. Either way he wasn't too bothered right now, Lindsey's whereabouts were the last thing on his mind. He made his way cautiously to his sock drawer, the very same drawer that he couldn't keep away from, that he constantly went to hoping for some inspiration, other times to just reminisce on what could have been. He pulled it open slowly and picked up the small black box. The same box that brought a smile to his face and yet pain to his heart. This ring should have been on her finger a long time ago, instead it was collecting dust in his drawer. He made his way to the bed and sat down, he slowly opened the box and looked down at the ring. He couldn't help but feel sad and angry, why did she have to say no? It was a thought always on his mind, a lot more than it should be, especially since she had returned. _

_He was soon brought from his thoughts when he heard a voice._

"_Oh my god Lucas" she squealed excitedly. It was Lindsey, his girlfriend, the same woman who helped publish his book and who had been nothing short of an amazing girlfriend to him over the last two years. She gave him her whole heart and she never hurt him like Peyton did. He knew this was wrong, he knew he was doing this for the wrong reasons but he felt so guilty about earlier and he didn't have the heart to tell her that it wasn't her ring so without thinking he got down on one knee and did the unthinkable, he proposed._

"_Will you marry me?" he asked, no big love declaration just four simple words. A small part of him was hoping she would say no because he knew deep down that this was wrong, this was not her ring and that this wasn't the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. However, another part, the bigger part at this moment in time was dying for her to say yes because he wasn't sure whether he would be able to handle another rejection._

"_Yes!" she squealed and jumped into his arms as they shared a passionate kiss. "I love you Lucas"_

"_I love you too" he replied as they continued to embrace._

_**End of flashback**_

"You see I was never planning on proposing to her, I was looking at the ring because I couldn't get you off my mind and Lindsey walked in and I know it was wrong but I freaked out. I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth, I already felt guilty enough about the kiss from earlier." He said ending his story.

I didn't know what to think. Was he telling the truth? Should I be happy? Should I be angry? I really didn't know. One thing I did know was the proposal wasn't intentional and that made me feel a little better. But where did this leave us? He says he loves me but does he still have feelings for Lindsey? I can't be second best and I won't share his heart with anyone, it's all or nothing.

_We made plans to grow old,  
believe me there was truth in all those stories that I told.  
Lost in a simple game cat and mouse,  
Are we the same people as before this came to light?_

_Am I supposed to be happy?  
When all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.  
Am I supposed to be happy?  
When all I ever wanted, it comes with a price.  
You said, you said that you would die for me..._

_You must live for me too'...  
For me too...yeah, yeah...  
You said that you would die for me..._

**AN: Hope you liked the update! Thankyou for all the wonderful reviews so far please let me know what you think :)**

**Song: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Cat and Mouse**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – You could be happy**

_You could be happy and I won't know  
But you weren't happy the day I watched you go_

_And all the things that I wished I had not said  
Are played in loops 'till it's madness in my head_

It felt good to finally lay everything down, to finally be truthful to myself and the feelings held deep within my heart. She now knows how I feel, how I truly feel and how proposing to Lindsey was a mistake. I cared for Lindsey, I really did but she wasn't the love of my life, I couldn't give myself to her completely no matter how hard I tried. I am dreading having to break things off with her because she is a great person and I don't want to hurt her, she doesn't deserve it but I can't live a lie, not anymore, I refuse to.

She hasn't said anything since I finished retelling the story of how I proposed to Lindsey and this makes me nervous. What if this just makes her angrier? What if she hates me? What if she doesn't want to be with me? I couldn't get these thoughts out of my mind, I loved her with all my heart and I was so scared in case I had really blown my chance with her. I hadn't handled things well with Peyton since she had returned, if anything all I've caused her is heartache and pain so if she doesn't want me then it really is my own damn fault.

"Please say something" I finally say breaking the unbearable silence that has loomed over the room.

"What do you want me to say Lucas? That this automatically makes everything okay? That I forgive you and we can live happily ever after?" she says and I can tell her heart and head are conflicted. Her heart wants to be with me but her head is telling her otherwise. She is going through what I went through for the last three years and I'm just hoping she will listen to her heart.

"Just tell me how you feel" I say softly not wanting to fight with her anymore.

"You already know how I feel" she replies in a quiet voice trying not to make eye contact.

She is still in the corner of the room with no where to run so I move a little closer and lift her head up with my hands forcing her to make eye contact. Tears have formed behind her eyes and she looks at me helplessly. I hate seeing her this way, full of pain and sorrow I want to take it all away and make her smile, make her happy. A lone tear escapes her eye and cascades down her perfect face; with my thumb I gently wipe it away and then pull her into my arms. She fights against me at first but I don't let her push me away that easily, I want to comfort her, I want her to know that I am here for her. After a few more moments of tears and her fists pounding into my chest she gives into my touch, allowing me to embrace her fully. The feel of her in my arms after all these years is indescribable; it actually makes me wonder how I lasted so long without her.

We stay locked in each others arms for what seems like forever when in reality it is only ten minutes at the most. I relish in her touch, I take in the beautiful scent of her hair; a smell I could never forget but have missed dearly. I try to comfort her by rubbing her back and whispering words of reassurance such as _'its going to be okay'_ in her ear. She eventually pulls away from me and we get locked in each other eyes. My blues meet her greens and I can already feel myself getting lost in her beauty. She really doesn't know how amazing she truly is, how naturally beautiful she is and how much she means to me. Before I know it my face is nearing hers, I can't help it there is just something about Peyton Sawyer that I can not resist no matter how hard I try. She has an affect on me like no other and that hasn't changed in the time we have spent apart. I notice how she doesn't try to get away so I take this as a good sign and after what seems like an unbearable eternity my lips touch hers softly. The kiss is slow and gentle at first and I feel her hand rest on my chest as I cup her cheek deepening the kiss. It quickly starts to heat up and become more urgent and I back her up to the wall as my hormones start to take over. Then my hands start roaming her body and my lips find their way onto her neck. At this point in time she must realise what she is doing as she pushes me away with as much strength as she can possibly muster.

"I can't do this…I'm sorry" she says a sadness present in her voice and I watch her walk away from me and towards the locked door.

"Peyton I"

"You don't understand Lucas" she says cutting me off and turning to face me. She keeps her distance not daring to move away from the door. I see utter sadness behind those green orbs. What happened to this woman? She seems so fragile and broken. Deep down I know I played a big role in that but it hurts me to acknowledge this because I hate to think about her in pain let alone me being the cause of it.

"What don't I understand?" I ask trying to remain calm. I don't approach her fearing that if I get too close that she will break or lash out and get angry. I want us to stay calm and be civil towards each other. We have done enough fighting to last a lifetime and I didn't intend on fighting with her anymore; I didn't want to.

"That I…that we…that this is wrong, we can't do this" she says tripping over her words and flaying her arms around.

"Why?" I ask wanting her to explain how she can say that this is wrong, that what I feel for her is wrong, because there is no way that it is. The love I feel for her can never be wrong, the circumstances maybe but my actual feelings are a different matter altogether.

"Because you're engaged Luke" she says stating the obvious but that isn't a good enough reason not for me at least. I told her the proposal was a mistake and that I still love her so there is no way she is going to use this as a reason not to be with me.

"Peyton you know I never meant to do that"

"But you did Lucas, you've celebrated, you've set a date and if we weren't locked in here together then none of that would change"

"How do you know that? Because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to go through with the wedding. If anything I would have called it off or realised what a mistake it was at the altar…Peyton there is no way I would be able to say I do to Lindsey and you wanna know why?" I say and watch as Peyton nods for me to continue, I obviously have her full attention so I'm not going to hold anything back, this is my chance to make her see that I love her, that I'm in love with her. "Because she isn't the one for me, she isn't the woman I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with…you are" I add and search her eyes for any sign of a reaction.

I've stunned her yet again, she wasn't expecting those words to leave my mouth but I don't regret them, I'm actually relieved to be getting everything out in the open. I've been bottling things up for years and I finally feel like a weight has been lifted. She doesn't say anything she just gazes into my eyes. I make my way towards her closing some of the distance she put between us before and she doesn't move, she remains frozen on the spot.

Tired of the silence I decide to speak again and hopefully I will get my answer this time. I take a hold of her face in my hand and wipe away the tears that are rolling down her cheeks "Peyton I love you and I want us to be together. You could be happy…we could be happy…so what do you say do you want to be happy with me?"

_Is it too late to remind you how we were  
But not our last days of silence, screaming, blur_

_You could be happy, I hope you are  
You made me happier than I'd been by far_

**AN: Song - Snow Patrol - You could be happy.**

**Hope you liked the chapter once again thankyou for all the wonderful reviews so far you guys really make this story worth writing :) Please let me know what you think.**

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	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 – Always love**

_To make a mountain of your life  
Is just a choice  
But I never learned enough  
To listen to the voice that told me  
Always love? Hate will get you every time  
Always love? Don't wait til the finish line_

_Slow demands come 'round  
Squeeze the air and keep the rest out  
It helps to write it down  
Even when you then cross it out_

But Always Love? Hate will get you every time  
Always Love? Even when you wanna fight

Do I want to be happy? Who doesn't? Of course I would love to be happy; to always have a smile on my face, to laugh and feel good about myself but my life never was full of joy, so as sad as it sounds I got used to living without happiness. I want to tell him yes, I want to but for some reason I can't get my mouth to open, I just don't seem capable of forming words. Maybe it's my walls, I hide behind them because I am afraid of getting hurt but he was always the one person who could get through them with ease; it was the one thing that I both loved and hated about him. I loved how he knew what I was thinking and what I needed but I hated that he could also use it against me. He knows me better than anyone else and that is something that has always terrified me and it still does to this day.

He is standing close to me, extremely close, I can feel his breath on my skin and I can tell he is nervously awaiting my answer. His hopeful eyes are staring down into mine and I can feel myself wanting to give in and just be with him, wanting to put both him and myself out of this misery and just be happy. I want to be loved again, I want to know how it feels to be loved again, I haven't felt love since we broke up all those years ago; for some reason I just couldn't let anyone else in. I was so broken after he left me that I just didn't want to risk getting hurt again so I closed myself off and now the one person who has my heart, who will always have my heart is trying to get me to open up again and I'm scared. Who wouldn't be?

Maybe over thinking things is my problem, maybe I should just act on impulse for once, maybe I should just allow my heart to feel and act on those feelings. Running scared never did get me anywhere, thinking about it now all it has done is cause me more pain because when I finally stop running and open up it is usually too late. Timing always was an issue with us so maybe I should stop making it an issue, maybe I should finally stop running scared but I still couldn't form the words he wanted to hear.

I notice his eyes look away from me; we have been in silence for so long that his hope seems to have diminished during that time. As he turns away from me I hear him mumble quietly to himself "I guess I have my answer." Hearing those words and watching him turn away from me must trigger something inside because before I know it I'm pulling on his arm, preventing him from walking away and forcing him to look at me.

No words are spoken, everything I am feeling is showing through my eyes and I know he can tell, after all he always was the one who could read me best. I nervously lean up and already I can feel the heat rising, I close my eyes and then feel the sensation of our lips joining. For some reason, this feeling makes me even more emotional as I feel a few tears leak out of my eyes and fall onto his cheeks. It has been so long since we were together, since we admitted our feelings for one another, that I guess it just got the better of me. He must have felt my tears because I suddenly feel his thumb on my cheek wiping them away lovingly as we continue to kiss. I eventually wrap my hands around his neck, pulling him as close to me as humanly possible as the hunger for him takes over me and I get lost in the taste of his kisses once again. I feel his hands getting lost in my curls, he is driving me wild but then he always did have that affect on me. Our lips carry on crashing together and then I feel his tongue trying to get access to my mouth. I decide to tease him a little first but that didn't last long before I knew it my mouth was open and his tongue was exploring it, getting reacquainted if you like, dancing with mine. It was so passionate but loving at the same time, he really was the only one who could make me feel that way. We finally broke apart when air became a necessity.

My eyes are still closed, the effects of that kiss still lingering fresh on my lips. I slowly open them to find his blues gazing down at me. He has the biggest smile on his face, he seems so happy and I find myself doing something I hadn't done in a long time; genuinely smiling and it felt better than I could ever have imagined. He kisses me affectionately on my nose and then rests his forehead against mine sighing contentedly.

"I've missed this" he whispers, afraid to say too much in case he ruins the moment.

"Me too" I reply quietly, finally finding my voice.

"I love you Peyton, always have always will" he says with such passion and affirmation that the smile on my face widens further than it ever has since I was a child.

"I love you too" I reply finally admitting to the feelings within my heart.

His lips meet mine again and we both get lost in the moment, he backs me up to the locked door and cups my face with both hands. I've missed his kisses, as cliché as it sounds he always puts his heart and soul into them, no one has kissed me with such devotion, with such want and with such love. I eventually pull away not wanting us to get too caught up so that we could not stop. He nods at me in understanding and I smile. I smile because I feel happy and because it feels good to have someone who doesn't always need the words to understand what I'm feeling, I had missed that while I was in LA because there was only ever one person who could read me like that.

"We still need to talk about the proposal" I say quietly with a nervous tone. I didn't want to bring this up again but if we were ever going to move past everything, if we were ever going to have a shot at truly being together for good then we needed to lay everything down once and for all and the only way to do that is to deal with it head on.

"Peyton I told you I never meant to propose to Lindsey" he says holding onto both of my shoulders and looking me straight in the eyes.

"Not that proposal" I whisper afraid in case this leads to more arguments. I watch as his whole expression changes and I can tell he knows what I want to talk about. He looks scared, like he doesn't want to talk about the destruction of our relationship all those years ago but I needed to get everything off of my chest, we needed to talk about it, we needed to do this so that we could finally get past it and be happy.

"Oh" he breathes out dropping his hands from my shoulders. I frown slightly at the loss of contact but I try not to think too much about that right now, there are more pressing issues to deal with.

"If we want to be together, if we ever want to get past everything then we have to talk about it."

"I want that Peyton more than anything, I want us to work this time but is there really anything left to say?"

"You still think I said no but I didn't Lucas, I really wanted to say yes I was just so scared and when I said someday, I really did mean someday. I just needed that year to prove to myself that I could make something of myself and I needed time to let it sink in because believe me it was a shock to me and you know what I'm like when it comes to commitment, especially something as big and lifelong as marriage. When I woke up that morning and you weren't there I felt like my heart has been ripped out of my chest and stomped on, it hurt so much and I kept hoping that you would call, or come back to me but you never did. I tried to call you, I dialled your number so many times but always chickened out before I pressed the last digit."

"Peyton" he says trying to stop me from continuing, I knew this was hard for him to hear but we had to work through this together and to do that we had to talk about it.

"No let me finish" I say interrupting him and he nods at me to continue "I loved you so much and everything you said was beautiful, I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect proposal but I had just started my career and I didn't want you to have to move and miss out on your dreams as a coach and writer. I knew you would make it, I knew your novel would get published, I could feel it and I didn't want you to risk anything for me"

"I know…if I'm honest I convinced myself that you said no because it was the only way I could attempt to move on and even that didn't work because its three years later and I'm still hopelessly in love with you, I never could forget you no matter how hard I tried. I'm sorry I didn't wait for you like I said I would…I was scared Peyton just like you and I will admit now that part of the reason for my proposal was because I felt like I was losing you but I still wanted it Peyton, I still wanted you to be my wife with all my heart and I don't regret proposing to you that night…I just regret how I handled things afterwards."

I could see tears forming behind his eyes and I pulled him into my arms wanting to comfort him like he had me countless times over the years. "I'm sorry I didn't say yes" I mumble into his shoulder as tears fall from my eyes and soak into his thin t-shirt.

"Shhh" he coos into my ears as he rubs the back of my hair comforting me yet again. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you…I'm sorry I put you in an all or nothing situation and I'm sorry I left in the morning without saying goodbye but I knew if you woke up and I saw those green eyes of yours I wouldn't be able to walk away."

We stay embraced together as we both shed more tears for the mistakes and pain from the past. We cry for the years we spent apart, for everything we had missed out on and we cry for the happiness we know will come now we have finally put everything behind us.

A few hours later and we are both slouched against the wall; my head is resting on his chest as I draw imaginary circles over his beating heart. He occasionally places kisses to my hair, playing with the ends of my lose curls and I sigh contentedly.

"Are we really going to do this?" I ask him softly looking up to meet his waiting gaze.

"We are really going to do this" he says smiling down at me placing a soft kiss to my lips.

"I'm hungry" I whine changing the subject.

He chuckles at me before replying "Me too"

"How about you take my mind off of it?" I say giving him a flirtatious wink.

He obliges and before I know it we are caught up in another heated make out session. We are so lost in one another that we don't hear the door open, the same door that has held us hostage in this ridiculously small room all day. It isn't until we hear "Uh hmm" and the tapping of someone's foot that we break apart and look over at the now open door.

_I've been held back by something  
Yeah. You said to me quietly on the stairs,  
I've been held back by something  
Yeah. You said to me quietly on the stairs._

_Always Love? Hate will get you every time  
Always Love? Hate will get you?_

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**AN: Sorry for the wait but I hope you enjoyed the update :)**

**Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed this story, it is highly appreciated and please let me know wat you think of this chapter!**

**Song: Nada Surf - Always Love**


	10. Chapter 10

_AN: Sorry for the wait guys but I was struggling with this chapter. I couldn't seem to get it right. Anyway I finally finished it after a lot of rewrites :)_

_Thankyou for all the positive feedback so far, it really means a lot and it makes this story worth writing!! _

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**Chapter 10 – Stop & Stare**

_This town is colder now, I think it's sick of us  
It's time to make our move, I'm shakin off the rust  
I've got my heart set on anywhere but here  
I'm staring down myself, counting up the years  
Steady hands, just take the wheel...  
And every glance is killing me  
Time to make one last appeal... for the life I lead_

Kissing her after all this time felt surreal yet amazing, I really couldn't describe how it felt because no words seemed to match the rush of feelings surging through my body right now. Peyton always had a way of making me feel like no other, there was always such intensity between us and I really could not believe I spent so many years with out her. I could not believe I spent so long trying to run from my feelings when it was clear to everyone else where my heart truly lied, where it has always lied. I'm so lost in this kiss, my hands tangled in her curly blonde hair, something I had missed dearly that she and I both don't hear the door open. In fact its not until we hear the tapping of someone's foot and "uh hmm" do we break apart and gaze at the now open door that held us hostage all day.

"Well, well, well" the voice said and we both looked on nervously. "I've been looking everywhere for you Peyton I didn't think I'd walk in on this"

"Brooke I" she said about to defend herself and I stroked her arm up and down to let her know that everything ahead of us we would face together. We both knew that people may not approve but we were never going to give up again, no one was capable of tearing us apart, as long as we stuck together we could face anything anyone threw at us.

"You don't have to explain, I'm happy for you, it's about time you took your head out of your ass Luke"

"Thanks" I said chuckling because even though she said it in a joking way, I picked up on the hint of seriousness in her tone and I knew she was right.

"So the storeroom?" Brooke said taking a look around while giving Peyton a suggestive wink.

"Well you see we kind of got locked in together"

"Ah…if I knew locking you up together would have done the trick I would have so done it"

We both laugh at Brooke and then stand up to exit the room that had help us captive all day.

"So Lucas what are you going to do about Lindsey?" the brunette asked. She knew it was plaguing her best friend's mind, but she also knew Peyton wouldn't bring it up so she did.

I wasn't shocked at the question; Brooke Davis never was one to beat around the bush. I wrapped an arm around Peyton's waist pulling her closer to me and then replied, "I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago"

"I'm so happy for you guys" Brooke cheered as they walked through Tric.

"I feel bad for Lindsey, she's going to hate me…I'm such a home wrecker" Peyton said sadly realising that she yet again had hurt someone else to be with Lucas.

"Hey" I say holding on to her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "This is not your fault, its mine I shouldn't have strung her along when there was someone else in my heart. I'm to blame Peyton and I'm willing to face the consequences"

She nodded her head at me but I could still tell that she felt bad, so I brought her lips to mine and we shared a short but loving kiss.

"Okay I'm happy for you but cut down on the PDA" Brooke said interrupting our moment and Peyton just chuckled as we all made our way out of Tric.

"I'm going to do it now" I say as all three of us stand outside in the sun.

"Are you sure?" Peyton asked feeling worried. I take a hold of her face with both of my hands and kiss her lovingly on the lips "I've never been more sure of anything" I breathe out once the kiss broke.

"Come on P. Sawyer I need to go home so you can keep me company while Broody takes care of Lindsey" Brooke said taking hold of Peyton's hand.

"I'll see you soon" I say to her as we part ways and she nervously nods back at me before taking off with Brooke.

I smile to myself watching the love of my life walk away but the smile soon fades as I realise what I have to do. I never wanted to be the cause of someone's heartbreak but I couldn't lie to my own heart anymore. Lindsey never had it and she deserves someone who can give her everything, who can let her in and love her unconditionally, something I really could not offer her because my heart would always belong to the curly blonde, it had since the day I fixed her car and it would until the day I died.

"Lucas where have you been I've been worried sick" Lindsey said as I entered the house.

"Sorry I kinda got held up" I reply making my way to the couch to sit beside her. She goes to kiss me but I move my head to the side and she looks at me with a mix of hurt and confusion in her eyes. I can't kiss her when I am committed to Peyton, she is the only person I have ever stayed faithful to and there is a reason for that, she is my true love and I could never picture cheating on her, never wanting her to feel betrayed by me. The truth is when I'm with Peyton Sawyer I never have eyes for anyone else because she truly captivates me, she is the only one I have ever let all the way in, she is the only one I have ever given my whole heart to.

"Lucas what's wrong?" she asks with concern making this harder than it already was. She was a great woman, she deserved to be loved and cherished but I couldn't do that.

"We need to talk" I say dreading this conversation.

"Okay"

"I never wanted to do this, I never wanted to be the one to break someone's heart, least of all yours but I have no choice"

"Lucas" she says trying to interrupt me obviously picking up on where this conversation was headed.

"I'm sorry Lindsey but we can't be together anymore"

"Lucas please" she says as the tears stream down her face "I love you"

"And I love you too…but I'm not in love with you"

More tears stream down her face so I carrying on talking trying my best to make this as pain free as possible. "There is someone out there for you Lindsey Strauss I know it…I'm just not that guy"

"I don't understand where this has come from. We just celebrated our engagement, heck we are supposed to be getting married in a week!" she shouts letting the anger consume her.

"I'm sorry Lindsey but its better than me leaving you at the altar" I reply trying to reason with her but finding out it only angered her more.

"Well aren't I lucky" she replied sarcastically.

"Its not you okay"

"Don't you dare say _its not you its me_" she says with anger.

"But it isn't you…you're an amazing woman, talented, beautiful and you deserve someone who can give you their whole heart…I can't do that"

"Why?" she said as more tears fell from her sad eyes.

I didn't want to bring Peyton up but I knew she deserved to know the truth. "Because for the past three years I've been trying to mend my broken heart and I realised it will only be fixed when I stop lying and let that person back in"

"Peyton" Lindsey stated more than questioned, but I nodded back at her anyway.

"I'm sorry but you read my book Lindsey and it's not something I could forget, I tried, I really tried to move on but she is it for me. I can't give myself to anyone else fully because she will always have my heart. You deserve happiness Lindsey, you deserve someone who will give you everything, and I wish I could do that but I can't. I loved you, heck I do love you, I care a lot about you and if there had never been a Peyton in my life we could have worked out but there is, I've been in love with the curly blonde since I was sixteen…she's my soulmate and I can't let her go again."

"What's so special about Peyton? What does she have that I don't?"

"Lindsey lets not go there" I said not wanting to compare the two women.

Meanwhile Brooke and Peyton had just arrived back at their shared house. Peyton had been extremely quiet the whole ride home that the brunette started to worry.

"You okay P?" Brooke said dropping her keys on the coffee table and plopping herself down on the couch.

"Yeah I'm fine" she replied in a seemingly empty voice.

"No you're not"

"What? I'm fine Brooke"

"Come on I've known you too long Peyton, you can't lie to me now what's wrong? You should be beaming you and Lucas are finally back together, you finally got what you came back for"

"I know I just……I guess I'm worried"

"Why? He loves you"

"I know but what about Lindsey?"

"What about her? Look Peyton Lucas chose you" the brunette said pointing at Peyton trying to emphasize her point.

"But why?" the blonde replied receiving a confused look from the brunette so she elaborated "I don't understand why he chose me when he has a beautiful, successful and pretty much perfect girlfriend who is everything I'm not"

"That's exactly why he chose you, because no one is quite like you Peyton, besides perfect is dull…and anyway I'm sure you are perfect in the eyes of Lucas Scott"

"What if Lindsey talks him into staying? What if Lucas changes his mind? What if"

"Peyton!" the brunette shouted stopping the blonde from rambling. "Lucas loves you, just believe in that okay?"

"Its just I can't go through the heartbreak again Brooke I barely made it the last time"

"You won't have to" Brooke replied pulling Peyton into a comforting embrace. They stayed embraced together until they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Hey Nathan" the brunette greeted cheerily.

"Hi Brooke I'm sorry to spring this on you but could you take care of Jamie, Haley's has a staff meeting and I've really got to get to the gym to train with Q"

"I'd love to but I have an important clothes over bros meeting in about half an hour" the brunette replied sadly. She loved spending time with her godson but this meeting was too important for her to miss.

Before Nathan could respond the blonde spoke "I'll watch him"

"You sure Peyt?"

"Yeah, its about time I got to know him a bit more"

"What do you say Jamie want to spend some time with auntie Peyton?" Nathan asked his son.

"Sure" he replied enthusiastically.

"Thanks Peyton you're a life saver"

"Don't mention it" she replied taking hold of Jamie's hand. "We're going to have a great time" she added and Jamie smiled up at her.

Back at Lucas' house Lindsey was packing her bags willing her tears away not wanting to cry in front of Lucas anymore. She hated that Peyton had come between them but she had read his book, she knew the type of love they had, she knew he always went back to her in the end. She knew she had set herself up for heartache, she knew as soon as the curly blonde came back into his life that it was only a matter of time before Lucas hurt her and went back to his soulmate, she just didn't want to believe it. She pulled the engagement ring off of her finger and placed it on his desk. She took one last look around the room and was about to leave when Lucas walked in and spoke.

"I really am sorry Lindsey"

"Me too" she replied as tears rimmed her eyes "I can't be your editor anymore but I'll see if someone from the company will take over"

"You don't have to do that" I reply, her kindness was making this even harder for me.

"No…you're a great writer Luke and I'm sure your second book will be just as good as your first…the world deserves to see it"

"Thanks" I reply not quite knowing what to say. I wanted to hug her and take her pain away but since I was the cause of it I knew that would only make things worse.

"Goodbye Lucas" she whispered

"Take care of yourself Lindsey" I reply watching her walk away, leaving my life forever. I sigh because I truly broke an amazing person's heart but I told myself it was better now than later down the line. It was bound to happen eventually because as long as Peyton Sawyer was in this world all my other relationships were doomed.

A few moments later I grab my cell and dial her number a smile tugging at my lips. After a few rings I hear her voice.

"Hello"

"Hi Peyton its me"

"Hey how did it go?" she asks and I can hear the nerves present in her voice.

"The best it could, where are you?"

"At the park"

"The park?" I ask a little confused as to why she would be there.

"Yeah I'm looking after Jamie"

"Okay I'll meet you there"

We hang up and the smile on my face just grows. I know I've made the right decision and it felt good to finally be free to be with the love of my life. After all these years a part we had finally come back to one another; just how it was meant to be.

_Stop and stare  
I think I'm moving but I go nowhere  
Yeah I know that everyone gets scared  
But I've become what I can't be, oh_

__

Stop and stare  
You start to wonder why you're 'here' not there  
And you'd give anything to get what's fair  
But fair ain't what you really need  
Oh, can u see what I see

**AN: Hope you liked it :) Please review and let me know what you think. I think the next chapter will be the last, just thought I'd let you know.**

**Song: One Republic - Stop & Stare**


	11. Chapter 11

_**AN: This is the last chapter everyone, I'm sad to see this story come to an end but I personally don't like to drag things out, I feel it takes away from the story. Anyway I really hope you enoy this final chapter and your thoughts are very much appreciated.**_

_**I just want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review, it means so much and the support and encouragement I received for this story made writing it worthwhile.**_

**_Also this chapter is in a general point of view rather than just Lucas' POV or just Peyton's POV. I thought it was a better way to end the story._**

_**Anyway enough from me, here is the final chapter to True love never dies, its forever** _

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**Chapter 11 – Gravity**

_Baby, It's been a long time waiting  
Such a long, long time  
And I can't stop smiling  
No I can't stop now  
And do you hear my heart beating  
And can you hear that sound  
Cause I can't help crying  
And I won't look down_

The sun is out, there is a cool refreshing breeze in the air, the birds are chirping and children were playing. It was a great day, perfect you might say and it reflected Peyton's mood entirely. She hangs up the phone with a smile on her face, she still felt like she was dreaming, like this couldn't possibly be happening to her. She was sure that she would wake up at any minute and cry because it was some sick joke but she didn't; this was real and she was beaming with joy. She finally felt whole, like there was a real purpose for her existence, yes she had her record label but no amount of success would ever fill that aching void in her life, only Lucas was capable of filling that. Lucas was her other half and with him she felt complete, she felt happy, and most importantly she felt home, something she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Who was that?" Jamie asked running up to the bench where the curly blonde was sitting.

"That was your uncle Lucas"

"Do you love uncle Lucas?" Jamie asked sweetly.

"Why'd you ask kiddo?" she replied feeling unprepared for that question.

"Because in Luke's yearbook you wrote that you would love him forever"

"You saw that huh?"

"Yep" the young boy replied with a cheeky smile.

"Then to answer your question yes…I love him very much and I always will"

"He loves you too" he replied and the curly blonde looked on confused at how he would know this when only Brooke knew of their current situation.

"What makes you say that?"

"I was in his room and found a drawer"

"A drawer?"

"Yep and it was full of pictures of you and drawings…he told me it was his Peyton drawer"

Peyton couldn't help but smile, this only proved to her even more that Lucas had never forgotten their relationship, he never forgot about her throughout the years they spent apart. It also pleased her that his Peyton box had turned into a whole drawer, holding all their precious memories together. And now they were free to make new memories together and she smiled at the thought of what was to come now she was Lucas Scott's girlfriend again.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asks crouching down to his level.

He nodded his head excitedly; he loved when people would tell him things other people didn't know it made him feel special and important.

"Me and your uncle Lucas are getting back together"

"Really?"

"Yep" she replied not being able to contain the smile on her face.

"So does that mean you will be my real auntie?"

"Yeah…yeah I guess it does" she replied thinking over her life ahead with Lucas Scott. She wanted everything with him this time, she was in it for the long haul and she was never going to run away scared ever again. She vowed to herself that her running days were over, from now on she would face everything head on and let him all the way in so that they could truly work through everything together.

The little boy smiled and hugged Peyton, she was caught off guard not expecting this kind of gesture but she immediately wrapped her arms around the young boy. She couldn't understand why she hadn't spent more time with him since she had been home. He was adorable and sweet, being around him only made her wonder what her own children would be like.

"I wish I could draw like you" Jamie said as the embrace broke.

"I've seen some of your drawings kiddo and let me tell you they are amazing"

"They're not as good as yours" he replied pouting in a serious but cute sort of way.

"It all comes with practice, you will get better the more you draw…I tell you what how about I draw you a picture, anything you want?"

"Really?"

"Yep"

"Will I get to keep it?"

Peyton laughed at his enthusiasm and then replied, "Of course you will. You just let me know what you want and I'll get it done for you later" she said ruffling his blonde hair.

"I'm going to have to think about it" the little boy replied not being able to decide on what he wanted.

"Take as long as you need"

Lucas approached the park and saw the love of his life on the bench talking to his nephew. He was about to make his presence known but before he could they had both started running around.

"Tag" Jamie shouted as he ran away from Peyton. "You can't get me" he chanted while running around the park. Peyton chased after him and the sound of his laughter brought joy to her ears. After a few moments of running she finally caught him, she picked him up and tickled him all over making him laugh even harder. They both fell to the grass in a fit of laughter and lay together letting their heavy breathing even out.

He couldn't help but smile at them; it was like seeing a glimpse of what his future with Peyton could be like when they had a family of their own. Not being able to keep away from her any longer he walked over to them both.

"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie cheered jumping into his arms.

"J-Luke!" he replied with the same enthusiasm.

They spent another hour on the park and then went to get some ice cream since Jamie had given them both the puppy dog eyes that neither could resist. Now they were walking back to Nathan and Haley's house each holding on to one of Jamie's hands. They occasionally lifted him into the air as they walked eliciting a shriek of joy from the young boy and _'do it again'. _Nathan had greeted them at the door, surprised to see them both together. They told them they were together again but didn't get into details promising they would explain everything another day.

"Bye Jamie" Peyton said softly and he ran into her arms.

"Bye Aunt Peyton, I had a great time"

"Me too buddy!"

Finally deciding on what he wanted he whispered into her ear "Can I have a picture of you, me and uncle Lucas?"

"Sure thing" she replied smiling. He ran back to Nathan who thanked them both for taking care of him.

"You not gonna say bye to me?" Lucas asked pretending to be hurt.

"Oh bye uncle Lucas" he replied running into the house and the three adults laughed before saying their goodbyes.

They entered his house through the side door that led to his bedroom. It had been a while since she had set foot in his room, it hadn't changed drastically but she automatically noticed the few minor changes that had occurred over the last four years. She took a seat at his desk and a silence loomed over the room. It seemed awkward now and she didn't know why. They were both where they finally wanted to be but it still felt surreal to Peyton since she had gotten used to the heartache and they had been apart for so long. It was a lot to adjust to since they had only been back together for a few hours.

"You okay?" he asked noticing her quiet state.

"Yeah…I'm good" she replied quietly.

He walked closer to her and knelt down beside her placing his hands on her thighs. "You don't look it" He said. He always could read her like a book, it was something only he was capable of doing and she really loved him for it.

"It's just, this all seems like a dream you know…its weird"

He pulled her face to his and brought her lips to his in a passionate kiss catching her completely off guard but it didn't stop her from responding with just as much passion. He put everything he had into that one kiss, wanting her to feel how much she meant to him. "I love you" he breathed out once the kiss broke.

"What about Lindsey? How did it go?" she asked nervously.

"I told her the truth, that I cared a great deal about her but I couldn't be with her because someone else has my heart and always will. She was upset but she understood."

Satisfied with his answer she pulled his face to hers and kissed him passionately. He lifted her up eliciting a squeal of joy from the curly blonde. He spun her around much like when they were in senior year and then they both fell back onto his bed. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him as close to her as humanly possible, he skimmed the seams of her lips with his tongue begging for entrance, which she happily granted. Before they knew it their hands were roaming over each other's bodies and things were heating up. Their lips broke contact when air became a necessity; they both panted heavily him still on top of her. They gazed deeply into one another's eyes and a smile formed on both of their faces. Her hands found the hem of his shirt and she soon pulled it off of his body.

"You sure?" he asked not wanting them to rush into anything. He didn't mind waiting and taking things slow, he was just happy to have her back.

She nodded back as their lips duelled together in another passionate kiss. Before long they had both shredded the remaining clothing that was separating them from one another and now all that was left was their hot and sweaty bodies.

He looked into her eyes one last time and saw a hint of uncertainty. He ran his hands through her curly locks and then spoke.

"We don't have to do this now, we can take things slow"

"No I want to…just please don't leave me again" she whispered and the vulnerability in her voice made Lucas want to cry. It broke his heart that he had caused her this sort of pain and he vowed to himself he would never hurt her again. He never wanted her to feel insecure with him; he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and only her.

He gently took her hand and placed it over his chest so she could feel his heart beating rapidly. "You're the only one who can make my heart race like this" he said and she responded with a small smile. "I won't ever leave you again Peyton, I promise" he added with affirmation and it was more than enough reassurance for Peyton because she brought his lips to hers again and then he slid into her and they became one for the first time in the three years they spent apart.

The movements started off slow, both of them savouring the feeling and getting reacquainted with one another but soon the pleasure started to overtake them and their thrusts became more urgent and frantic. The need to be closer, deeper within one another took over. She moaned out his name as he moved her in all the right places, the pleasure was getting so much he felt her nails in his back. They continued at this faster pace until the wave of euphoria overtook their bodies.

He remained on top of her for a few moments as they both let their rapid breathing even out and then he rolled off of her and wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her back into him not quite ready for the loss of physical contact. He had spent too many years without her and he had to make up for lost time. They both let out a contented sigh and then fell asleep; the best nights sleep they had had in years.

The morning soon arrived, the beaming sun waking him from his slumber. Lucas reached out to pull her into his arms but grabbed onto nothing. He opened his eyes quickly and scanned the room for any sign of the curly blonde, last night was real, he knew that for a fact. He soon found her sat on the floor with a drawer in her hands and he let out a breath he didn't even realise he was holding.

"What are you doing?" he asked a little groggily while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Oh you know just checking out your Peyton drawer" she replied teasingly with a contented smile and he soon blushed which only made her smile more.

"How did you know about that?"

"You shouldn't tell a five year old something like this" she responded as she brought the drawer onto the bed. She softly pecked him on the lips and then went back to sifting through their memories together.

"I can't believe you kept all this" she said as she read over notes she wrote him in class, drawings she had given him, mixed CDs, photographs, movie tickets and so on.

"Of course I did" he replied as he planted kisses down her neck and arm making her shiver inside.

"You never forgot about us did you?" she asked seriously as she made eye contact.

"Never…I could never erase you from my mind you meant to much to me…you mean too much to me"

"I can't wait to make new memories with you Lucas Scott" she whispered before bringing him into a passionate kiss.

"Likewise"

They laid back down and she cuddled into him. She had missed being in his arms; it was a place that always made her feel safe no matter what was going on in her life, no matter how scared she was feeling, being in his arms could always make everything okay.

"I love waking up next to you" she sighed out as she laced her hand through his and played with his fingers.

"Move in with me" he said abruptly.

"What?" she replied dazed.

"Move in with me" he repeated and she turned so she could rest her body weight on her elbows and make eye contact. "We could wake up together every morning" he added.

"You sure you wouldn't get sick of me?" she said jokingly.

"Well I'd have to get used to your constant fidgeting and your constant mood swings" he replied playfully and she hit him on the chest in the same manner.

"Come on what do you say? I'll make you breakfast every morning"

"You don't think this is too fast?"

"Of course not"

"Well Brooke isn't going to be pleased"

"Why?"

"She loves living with me, I am an awesome roommate"

"So is that a yes?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course. I want everything with you" she said and he chuckled at the fact she brought something from their history into the present. Their lips joined again in a short but loving kiss and then she spoke "I'm gonna hold you to that breakfast every morning"

He laughed again and then pulled her into his arms so her head was resting on his chest.

"I love you Lucas"

"I love you too Peyton; always" he replied placing frequent kisses to her hair.

"I really do want everything with you this time" she said closing her eyes to savour the feeling.

"I know and we're gonna have it all"

"We are?"

"Yep. The perfect wedding, the honeymoon, the children" she cut him off with a kiss, which he happily obliged to.

"That sounds perfect" she whispered against his lips and he smiled, a genuine and happy smile.

"Its you and me…it can't get much better" he replied and she smiled again, a smile he could never get sick of seeing, a smile that only brought joy to his life and the only smile that could ever make his heart race. He placed her hand over his heart again so she could feel the effect she had on him.

"I love you Peyton Sawyer soon to be Scott"

"I love you too soon to be husband" she replied giggling at the blissful state they were in.

She didn't care if they were being cheesy; she had waited years to feel loved again, to be truly happy and now all she wanted was the idyllic life with Lucas Scott, her soulmate, her true love. They went through hard times, at one point it seemed as if it was over but true love always conquers in the end, because true love never dies, true love is forever.

_And then I looked up at the sun and I could see  
Oh the way that gravity turns on you and me  
And then I looked up at the sun and saw the sky  
And the way that gravity pulls on you and I, on you and I_

_Can you hear my heart beating  
Can you hear that sound  
Cause I can't help crying  
And I wont look down_

**The End**

* * *

**_AN: Hope you liked it. Obviously I gave LP the happy ending they deserve. Please review one last time :)_**

**_The song was "Gravity" by Embrace. I felt it was a really fitting song for this chapter after all the waiting LP do to be with one another and it also came full circle on the first chapter which was also a song by Embrace._**

**_Anyway thankyou for reading!!_**


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